11 Brilliant Gifts For the Artisanal Foodie in Your Life

Cater to your loved one’s discerning tastes with a range of gifts that’ll make even the most ardent foodie’s mouth water.

1. DELUXE DIY CHEESE KIT; $50

Give the cheese lover in your social circle hours of entertainment and access to more than 40 pounds of their beloved dairy product with this collection. The starter kit includes instructions, materials, and molds to make at least 30 batches of mozzarella, ricotta, goat cheeses, paneer, or queso blanco—all in an hour or less.

2. FOODIE DICE; $24

Two Tumbleweeds

Even the most dedicated cooks can fall in a rut. Keep your favorite home chefs inspired with these dice from Two Tumbleweeds that dictate 186,000 possible meal combinations with die dedicated to protein, cooking methods, grains/carbs, herbs, bonus ingredients, and seasonal vegetables.

3. GRADY'S COLD BREW BEAN BAGS; $30

Plenty of coffee connoisseurs have upgraded their morning cup of Joe to cold brew lately but you can’t just add ice to regular old coffee for the same effect. Each of these “bean bags” makes 36 cups of Grady’s famous cold brew right in the fridge.

4. BEST OF MOUTH SUBSCRIPTION; $60 PER MONTH FOR THREE MONTHS

A photo posted by Mouth.com (@mouthfoods) on Aug 15, 2015 at 11:15am PDT

If you know your gift recipient’s favorite cravings—popcorn, pickles, bourbon, for example—you can get them a specialized Mouth monthly subscription. But if you want to keep your options open, or present them with variety, the Best of Mouth will send them the best offerings from independent food purveyors each month.

For your favorite foodie who wants to be more conscientious about what he or she eats, this book tells the tale of an amateur chef who buys a whole cow and spends a year cooking nose-to-tail dinners and learning about the beef industry.

6. COMPOST COOKIE MIX; $16

Dessert aficionados know it doesn’t get much better than Momofuku Milk Bar. For devotees who live outside of New York City or Washington, D.C., the bakery does ship ready-to-eat sweet treats, but this mix will let the recipient whip up a batch of the famed cookies whenever they want.

7. ZOKU INSTANT ICE CREAM MAKER; $26

The rest of us are fine with store-bought goods but for the foodie who would rather churn themselves a custom ice cream creation worthy of their taste, this is the perfect gift. The single-serving sized bowl (available in six colors) makes hard or soft-serve ice cream in just minutes.

10. THE WORLD KITCHEN BOX; $50

Housed in a hand-woven basket from Oaxaca, Mexico these global fair trade treats are the perfect gift for the foodie in your life who’s also full of wanderlust and goodwill. The company supports artisans around the world and monthly subscriptions are also available.

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1. BANANA; $18.99

Amazon

This ingenious umbrella comes with a special cover to make it look like you’re lugging around a real banana. The covers come in green and yellow, but the umbrella itself is always yellow.

2. MAGICAL UNICORN; $36.49

3. GAME OF THRONES; $37.89

Amazon

If you’re looking for something a little tougher, a Game of Thrones-themed umbrella might be just the thing. The umbrella is adorned with the show's logo and has a special handle that looks like the hilt of Jon Snow’s sword, Longclaw.

4. LETTUCE; $14.88

5. CARROT; $15.90

Amazon

For more food-themed umbrella fun, check out this carrot-shaped umbrella. Similarly to the banana version, it comes with a protective case that resembles a carrot. When you take off the top, it reveals an orange umbrella.

7. DOG UMBRELLA; $16.59

Amazon

Don’t forget about your furry friends when it's raining cats and dogs. While dog rain jackets are adorable, you can also opt for a special umbrella made just for puppers. The handle is situated on top of the umbrella so you can easily hold it above your short companion. It’s also connected to a leash so you don’t have to carry two things at once.

8. SKY; $43.95

Amazon

Opening this umbrella will have you seeing sunny skies, even in the rain. Designed by Tibor Kalman and Emanuela Frattini Magnusson, it looks like a plain black umbrella until it’s opened up, revealing its colorful underbelly.

9. STARRY NIGHT; $43.70

10. CAT IN SPACE; $22.56

Amazon

Strangely, the “cats in space” motif is pretty popular online. From sweaters to calendars, there’s no shortage of felines floating through the galaxy. You can also get an umbrella with the unusual design, because why not?

11. LED UMBRELLA; $23.66

Amazon

There are a lot of futuristic gadgets in the movie Blade Runner, but some are more obtainable than others. You can actually buy the LED light umbrella seen in the movie. The battery-operated handle glows blue, which both looks cool and keeps you safe at night.

12. BIRDCAGE; $22.99

13. COLOR CHANGING UMBRELLA; $34

Amazon

It’s hard to imagine actually getting excited about going out into the rain, but with this special umbrella, you might be watching for dark clouds. The special white ink changes colors when wet, so you can go from a monochrome umbrella to a rainbow one in seconds.

15. KATANA; $28.99

Amazon

Carrying around an umbrella can be a bit of a pain, but at least you can look cool doing it. When wrapped up, this umbrella looks like a sword slung over your back. The hilt of the katana becomes your handle when you open the umbrella up.

It can be hard to get started writing, but when you're using one of these awesome notebooks, you’ll at least be tempted to jot something down (especially with the right pencil).

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Thanks for helping us pay the bills!

1. STAR TREK CAPTAIN’S LOG; $7.95

A lot can happen on a mission, so it’s important to keep a thorough captain’s log to help you remember it all. Trekkies will love writing their notes in this 64-page themed notebook, which is about the size of a passport and slides easily into a pocket.

2. WONDERLAND PASSPORT; $7.95

It's unlikely Alice would have had an easier time exploring Wonderland if she'd had the proper paperwork, but this notebook modeled to look like a passport will please any literary bureaucrats you know.

3. TREE TRUNKS; $9.17

Write down all your most outdoorsy thoughts in these notebooks, which have covers that look like different tree barks—and are textured to feel just like real trees. The 96-page books are made with FSC certified wood and recycled paper.

4. LEFTYBOOKS; €9.50

Most of the notebooks designed for lefties are pretty basic. Not Leftybooks, which are made specifically with left-handed people in mind and are plenty of fun, too: Writers can choose from covers with fun designs like marble, feathers, cereal, and more.

5. MICROWAVEABLE BOOKS; $23.57

Your mother probably told you not to put non-food items in the microwave, but we’re here to tell you to put your notebook in there—or at least this one specific kind. The Rocketbook is a handy notepad that’s reusable: After filling it with notes and doodles taken with a Pilot FriXion pen, pop the notebook in the microwave. When the pen's ink hits 140°F, it turns invisible, rendering the the pages clean and ready for another use. You can microwave the notebook up to five times before you have to get a new one. Writers who want to keep their notes can download an accompanying app that will send your notes to the cloud service of your choice.

6. TABLE TENNIS NOTEBOOKS; $20

When you have this set of notebooks, you and a friend can play table tennis anywhere. Two books act as paddles—they even have textured rubber on their covers, just like actual paddles—while the third book serves as the net. There’s also a scorecard on the inside of the books to keep track of your games, plus 100 pages in each for recording tactics and strategies.

7. ETCH-A-SKETCH; $13.49

This may seem like an ordinary Etch-a-Sketch, but it’s really a notebook in disguise. Open it up and discover 200 blank, unlined pages waiting to be filled. The two white dials are secretly erasers, since shaking it won’t work this time.

8. LENTICULAR MARIO BROTHERS; $7.61

The lenticular cover of this notebook features everyone’s favorite Koopa-killing plumber; Mario jumps up to activate a question mark block as you open and close the book. Inside, you can find 200 lined pages with grey illustrations along the bottom.

10. COLORING BOOK NOTEBOOK; $21.95

If you hit a wall while writing, take a coloring break—and with this fun notebook, you don’t even have to change books when you make the switch. The hardcover book lies flat when you open it, making it easier to color every inch of the 50 pages that feature illustrations (the notebook has 176 total pages).

11. DECOMPOSITION; VARIOUS PRICES

Decomposition Notebooks are a lot like regular notebooks, but these are made with recycled paper—and they’re absolutely adorable. The fun designs vary from dinosaurs to feline cosmonauts. Each book is made with soy-ink and contains no chlorine, so it can be recycled again.

12. RAINBOW PAGES; FROM $28.45

Your notes will look beautiful when jotted down on pastel paper—especially when that paper is also handbound in colorful leather. The 120-page A6 journal can be purchased with either lined or blank sheets.

15. INSPIRATION PAD; €11

Created by a Brussels-based design and advertising firm, this notebook is meant to break the norm of traditionally lined paper. The Inspiration Pad features a different pattern on each page: You can watch as the lines warp and shift in spirals, slopes, and waves. The notebooks are available in yellow, brown, or blue and can be shipped internationally.